Jackson Bottom birds: April 23-29, 2010

New interpretive plant signs in the upland area, Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve, Hillsboro, Oregon on April 21, 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

April showers bring... migrants!

Lots of new birds arrived each day this week at Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve in Hillsboro, Oregon.

A locally rare migrant MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER was present on April 26. That day a YELLOW WARBLER was reported. ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, WARBLING VIREOS, VAUX'S SWIFTS, and CLIFF SWALLOWS increased in numbers this week.

Both VIRGINIA RAILS and SORAS were heard calling in the marsh this week. An AMERICAN BITTERN was obvious at Kingfisher Marsh on APRIL 23.

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE migrated overhead starting on April 27. The first BLUE-WINGED TEAL of spring was spotted on April 23.

The pale gray PEREGRINE FALCON that has been seen every few days for the past month or so showed up several times during the week. A dark immature stooped on shorebirds over the mudflats of the Gene Pool on April 29. Eight immature BALD EAGLES were seen chasing an OSPREY that carried a fish on April 25. The nesting BALD EAGLES began bringing small prey items to the nest, so the egg(s) must have hatched about April 25.

Shorebird migrants included the first SPOTTED SANDPIPERS of spring on April 26. Two SOLITARY SANDPIPERS were present on April 28. Several other shorebird species arrived this week, the peak of their spring migration.

Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve is located at 2600 SW Hillsboro Hwy, Hillsboro, Oregon.

Greater White-fronted Goose
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
Double-crested Cormorant
American Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Virginia Rail
Sora
American Coot
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Least Sandpiper
Dunlin
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Vaux's Swift
Anna's Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Warbling Vireo
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
Bewick's Wren
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
Pine Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
Evening Grosbeak

Lincoln's Sparrow ID

Lincoln's Sparrow, Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve, Hillsboro, Oregon on April 22, 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

The Lincoln's Sparrow is a regular migrant through the Pacific Northwest in April and again October-November. Small numbers may be found through the winter. Breeding birds nest in high mountain meadows and snow-melt bogs in the Pacific Northwest.

Many newer birders have this species on their list of desired birds to see. There are two challenges to identifying sparrows. The first is to learn the names of the head feather tracts that are key in identifying the various species. Equally important is to learn the behavior of these birds to get a sufficiently diagnostic view.

Using the photo above as a guide, you can see that the Lincoln's Sparrow's upperparts are rather pale brown. The face is pale gray with an obvious buff-colored (yellow-brown) submustachial stripe. The throat and belly are white, but there is a buffy breastband with fine dark brown streaks.

If you haven't learned the feather tracts of a sparrow's head, now is the time. Some new birders seem reluctant to learn the head feathers of the sparrows. But it is really no different than teaching the parts of the face to a toddler: "eye, nose, chin, ear." So don't be afraid to learn these new terms.

From the top of the head, the Lincoln's Sparrow depicted above has a pale gray central crown stripe. Next is the brown lateral crown stripe. Below that is the wide gray eyebrow stripe (or supercilium). There is a thin brown eyeline back from the eye. This species has a subdued thin white eyering. The lore (area between eye and bill) is rather pale on this bird. On some species of sparrows the dark eyeline is continuous, from bill through the eye and back. Back and down from the eye is an area of feathers composing the ear coverts (or auriculars). In this bird they are pale brownish-gray.

There is a thin dark mustachial stripe from the base of the bill back under the eye and the bottom border of the ear coverts. Next under this is a key mark on Lincoln's Sparrow--a broad buffy submoustachial stripe (also called malar stripe). This is bordered on the bottom by another dark line called the lateral throat stripe. The throat is white with thin dark streaks.

Now let's compare with the common Song Sparrow of the Pacific Northwest....

Song Sparrow, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on November 27, 2008 by Greg Gillson.

 

The Song Sparrow is rusty brown on dark gray, much darker-hued than the Lincoln's Sparrow. Notably, the submustachial line is whitish, not buff. The reddish-brown breast streaks are wide and densely placed on a gray or whitish background.

In short, the Song Sparrow is dark rusty and gray while the Lincoln's Sparrow is pale gray and buff.

While both these sparrow may sulk in the bushes, their response to pishing is starkly different. Pishing, if you did not know, is a means to attract birds by squeaking or making "psh-psh-psh..." sounds. Interspersing pygmy owl or screech owl calls into the pishing, also attracts some birds.

Pishing brings Song Sparrows out of the bush and right up into your face. Here they stay for as long as you keep it up.

On the other hand, Lincoln's Sparrows may pop up to the top of the bramble to give you a quick look. But then they fly down and away and do not respond again. Thus, it is much more difficult to see Lincoln's Sparrows, even when they are present. You have to identify them in your first, quick look.

Of course, you may identify sparrows by their voice. Sparrows sing, have a primary call note, and have a secondary call note that may be described as a "flight note."

Song Sparrows sing a song throughout the year with husky introductory notes and a loose trill, sounding similar to Madge, Madge, Madge! Put on your tea-kettle. The common call note is a loud chimp call. The flight note, often heard in the tall grass as you walk past is a very high, soft see note.

Lincoln's Sparrows have bubbly trills they sing in their mountain forest bogs in breeding season, but are rarely heard in the lowlands in migration. Their primary call note is a hard check note, similar to, but softer than, the note of the Sooty Fox Sparrow. The flight note of Lincoln's Sparrow is a high soft zeee, similar to Song Sparrow's note, but slightly buzzy. These "flight notes" are often given as a response to a predator or given by birds hiding in the blackberry tangles as you walk past.

Now, given these identification and behavioral tips, you may be better able to find and correctly identify Lincoln's Sparrows.

Vaux's Swifts: amazing aerialists

Vaux's Swift, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 22 September 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

The Vaux's Swift might be thought of as a Pacific NW breeding specialty, occurring from SE Alaska across southern British Columbia and northern Idaho, south in the wooded mountains into central California. They winter mostly from southern Mexico to Panama.

However, there are also non-migratory Vaux's Swifts in Mexico, Panama, and northern Venezuela. These are sometimes considered a separate species, Dusky-backed Swift, Chaetura richmondi.

Vaux's Swifts arrive in the latter half of April in the Pacific NW and form large migratory flocks in September as they head south. Large migratory flocks of swifts roost at night in brick chimneys. One famous roost is in downtown Portland at the Chapman Elementary School. By mid-September 10-35,000 swifts may use this roost. This has become quite the local spectacle, and problem, with some 400-2000 people visiting each night to watch, according to the Audubon Society of Portland.

These swifts may choose to nest in chimneys in towns, but often use hollow snags in the forest. They build their nests of saliva and small twigs. During the day they forage over woods, waters, and towns with high, buzzy twittering calls.

Though they may look superficially like swallows, there are many differences. Swifts have weak feet and cannot perch on tree branches or wires. They cling to the inside of hollow snags or chimneys at night, but spend most of the day in speedy flight. They are dusky gray with paler throat and rump. The wings have the wrist joint very near the body, thus they have twinkling flight and brief soaring. Their tail feathers are short and bristle-like.

This swift was named in honor of American minerologist William Vaux (1811-1882). Since he pronounced his name as "vawks," that is the pronunciation of the name of the swift, not "voze" as it might be pronounced if French.

Jackson Bottom birds: April 17-22, 2010

Greater Yellowlegs, Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve, Hillsboro, Oregon on April 21, 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

There were heavy migrations this week of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and CLIFF SWALLOWS, with about 1000 each on April 20.

A PEREGRINE FALCON has been hanging around. A very rare GOLDEN EAGLE flew through on April 17. A MERLIN was reported April 22.

New migrants for the wetlands this week include AMERICAN BITTERN (4/18), BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD (4/19), VAUX'S SWIFT (4/20), WILSON'S WARBLER (4/20), WARBLING VIREO (4/21), an early BULLOCK'S ORIOLE (4/21), and LESSER YELLOWLEGS (4/22).

Dozens of WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS and GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS migrated through this week. Several LINCOLN'S SPARROWS were also noted. A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, perhaps the same one noted for a couple of weeks in the front of the building, also put in an appearance at the back feeders this week.

Shorebird numbers increased this week. A flock of about 25 GREATER YELLOWLEGS was noisily flying about the wetlands on April 22. DUNLIN were molting into their breeding plumage with black belly patches and a few rusty feathers on the back. Within a few weeks they will live up to their former name, Red-backed Sandpiper.

Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve is located at 2600 SW Hillsboro Hwy, Hillsboro, Oregon.

Here is the list of 82 species reported for the week of April 17-22, 2010.

Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
Double-crested Cormorant
American Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Golden Eagle
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Least Sandpiper
Dunlin
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Herring Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Vaux's Swift
Anna's Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Warbling Vireo
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
Bewick's Wren
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Bullock's Oriole
House Finch
Pine Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
Evening Grosbeak
House Sparrow

Lunch with the Birds revisited

American Goldfinch, Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve, Hillsboro, Oregon on April 21, 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

Back in October I began my turn hosting Lunch with the Birds, a free weekly public invitation to watch birds for an hour at noon at Jackson Bottom Wetlands in Hillsboro, Oregon. Started 12 years ago, many local people have been introduced to the wetlands and its birds.

Recently we moved from the north viewstand down to the back deck of the Education Center, one mile to the south. The original ponds had grown up with willows and shorebirds no longer occur and the ducks are distant. The Bald Eagles have moved their nest to a more distant grove of trees. There just weren't as many birds visible at the north viewstand as there used to be.

The Education Center is about 7 years old now, has restrooms, gift shop, a real Bald Eagle nest in the exhibit hall with other educational displays, and a big covered deck. Landscaping has been established with native plants and interpretive signs. Bird feeding stations have been set up with easy viewing. The Center is the trailhead for over 3 miles of wetland trails. It just made sense to move to the south end.

And that's just what we did earlier this month. Yesterday was the second week having Lunch with the Birds at the Education Center. The first week we had a retirement group visit. This week, just 3 "regulars" showed.

As we talked about birds on the back deck we watched birds come and go at the feeders: Red-winged Blackbirds, Pine Siskins, Spotted Towhees, American Goldfinches, Song Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Black-capped Chickadees, White-crowned Sparrows, Lesser Goldfinches, Mourning Doves, and Rufous Hummingbirds. A rather rare White-throated Sparrow showed up, too!

And out in the distance, Mallards, Green-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Ring-necked Ducks, Northern Shovelers, and Gadwalls made up the ducks. And a Bald Eagle circled overhead....

Join me every Wednesday at noon at the Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve Education Center, 2600 SW Hillsboro Hwy, Hillsboro, Oregon, just one mile south of Baseline and First Street in downtown Hillsboro.